Legal Drinking Age essays

Legal Drinking Age essays Motor vehicle crashes, alcoholic poisoning, violence, and addiction are just some of the ways children under age 21 are being devastated by the inappropriate and illegal use of alcohol. Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among the nations youth and it can have serious, often lifelong, consequences for them, their families and their communities (Alcoholism). Underage alcohol use is a significant threat to the health and safety of our children, noted Steven A. Shroeder, M.D., President and CEO of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The extent of alcohol consumption by children ages 9 to 15 is startling, and preventing it must become a national priority. Consider these facts: - 3 million children ages 14 through 17 are regular drinkers who already have a confirmed alcoholic problem. - 24 percent of eighth graders say they have used alcohol in the last 30 days. - More than 100,000 12-13 year-olds binge drink every month - Ninth graders who drink are almost twice as likely to attempt suicide as those who dont. - 40 percent of children who begin drinking before the age of 15 will become alcoholics at some point in their lives. (Alcoholism) Alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of death and injury among teenagers (Alcoholism). If you can join the Army and get killed fighting for your country, you should be able to drink, said Tim Maloney, who was a junior at Grandview High School when he participated in the survey. Yet nearly anyone who has studied the effects of alcohol on teen-agers will disagree with Maloney (Bradley). Researchers have determined that alcohol kills a large number of persons between the ages of 18 and 21 (Bradley). And liquor packs a more powerful punch for teen-agers, even 20-years-olds, because they still are developing physically, emotionally, and socially (Bradley). The maturing process can last until age 24 (Alcoholism). Frequent drinking can stunt ...